Arthurlie 4 Drumchapel United 1,Walkies for Peanut, was a little of a journey. Normally, Saturdays are the best days. Chihuahuas are small dogs with big dreams.‘He’s been coming on our travels since he was a pup,’ Christine Gibbon said of her canine companion. She’s seated in Dunterlie Park at Arthurlie FC, the home of Dunterlie FC. Home, too, for a couple of dozen groundhoppers, at least for the day.The Barrhead club came up with the excellent idea of having a groundhoppers’ day where the genially obsessed could visit the ground, hear the history, visit the dressing rooms, walk on to the pitch and have a pie and a drink.They came from quite far and very near. Local grandpas received the groundhoppers passes as birthday presents. Others had come from Cambridgeshire. Christine, Chris, and Peanut (of course) had travelled from Durham at 7am. The humble correspondent also joined in, although he wasn’t a groundhopper per se, he was more of a ground-lover. He told stories about Arthurlie back then, Stanley Matthews and his links, as well as the routine listing of thousands grounds visited. In the words of the song, it was an afternoon of fitba’ crazy, fitba’ daft, all enjoyed by people who seemed curiously rational.Christine was unabashed about her passion. ‘We love it,’ She said, her words including her husband Peanut who appeared unaffected by the hours of travel. Christine Gibbon and her dog Peanut take advantage of Groundhoppers Day. Fans get their own view on the terraces to watch Arthurlie FC beat Drumchapel United 4-1. Dunterlie Park is just the latest destination for fans who travel all over the UK.‘We have been doing this for a couple of years so we are not as experienced as some of the groundhoppers here. We like to go to lower league teams because they don’t get big supports so we feel our presence is helping them.’ It was £25 for the groundhopper package at Dunterlie and it was the biggest bargain since the Dutch bought Manhattan from the Native Americans for the price of a decent fish supper.The access all areas, access all pies and sandwiches deal was supplemented by a goody bag and, almost incidentally, a smashing match which Arthurlie won well, including two beautifully crafted goals.It was ground 1,654 for Craig Dabbs, who had left his house in Northampton at 4.30am and collected fellow travellers en route to Barrhead.‘It all started in the early nineties in a serious way,’ “It was a journey of discovery,” he said. ‘But my fascination with small clubs began when my dad bought me a Bartholomew map of football grounds of England and Wales when I was a kid. I later bought a league directory. Then when I passed my driving test I set forth for Worcester City.’He did concede: ‘It’s a little bit more serious now.’ He largely eschews the top leagues. ‘I do not want to spend a lot of money on a ticket just to be told where to sit,’ He said. ‘I like to walk around a ground and chat to fellow spectators.’ Arthurlie scored their third goal in a 4-1 victory over Drumchapel United. George Ormond is enjoying his visit to Arthurlie for the first time. ‘I would like to complete all grounds in all the tiers of all lower league football in England and the four tiers in Wales. I am about 400 short in England and 17 in Wales.’It will be his second trip to more than 2000 grounds. The majority of these visits were on the British mainland. However, he does speak fondly of two trips to the Czech Republic and Glentoran in Northern Ireland.‘It gives me a lot of pleasure because I know how hard these small clubs can find it and they don’I don’t have a lot of money. I am a football fanatic, so this is how I give back to my beloved sport. I’ve also met some wonderful individuals. I have never had a bad welcome in Scotland.’He will return next March for a further Caledonian trip. He is helping Chris Berezai (Managing Director of GroundhopUK) and his company plan a trip that will feature six games in Fife on one weekend.‘I call it a win, win, win situation,’ said Berezai. ‘It’s a win for me as I make money to keep the company going, it’s a win for the groundhoppers who will see half a dozen matches on one trip, and it’s a win for the clubs who see their attendances increase. The groundhoppers are able to walk on the hallowed turf with ease. It was a day for faith to be repaid, as the sun shone on the righteous. They were allowed to walk on the Dunterlie field shortly before kickoff. David Jack, retired principal teacher of religion education and a man with a wicked humour, is their guide. ‘This is proof there is no God. No God would do this to you.’ Groundhop UK is run by Chris Berezai who is the managing Director. David Jack was a funny guide on the trip to Dunterlie Park for groundhoppers. Jack’s laugh is a clue to his irreverent wit and a solid grasp of what Arthurlie represents to him. He first arrived in Dunterlie as a teenager. ‘’a 10 or 11-year-old’’. He is very precise about his score that day. ‘2-2 v Benburb.’Student life and then responsibilities as a father kept him away from Arthurlie for spells but he always returned and in retirement is a consistent attender who also compiles the excellent match programme.His best moment as a supporter in Dunterlie was in the early nineties when 4,000 gathered for a Scottish Junior Cup quarter final tie against Auchinleck Talbot. ‘We lost,’ “But he took it very seriously when he talked about the significance of my club,” he said. ‘I was born and bred in Barrhead and I love the history that this football club has. It has an important social history. It is part of my identity and that of the town.’George Ormond’s personal history is reflected in this piece. ‘This is where it all started for my dad and uncle,’ He said as he looked out onto the park. He produced his phone and clicked on a photo. The photo was of the Arthurlie team that lost the Junior Cup final at Hampden in 1945-46.‘There is my dad, William, and my uncle, Hugh,’ He said. ‘My dad went on to play with Stanley Matthews and Stan Mortensen at Blackpool. My grandfather, also George, played for Rangers.’ A warm welcome is always assured for anyone visiting Arthurlie FC’s snug ground This supporter has a close-up view of the action in the Arthurlie v Drumchapel showdown Supporters soak up the unique atmosphere ahead of Arthurlie’s move to a new stadium The present-day George was an amateur player who has just retired from the oil and gas industry. This was George’s first visit to Dunterlie. ‘My sisters chanced on this photograph in a Paisley newspaper a few years ago,’ He said. ‘A pal suggested I should come today and I have travelled up from Greenock.’Visit Dunterlie as soon as possible. The West of Scotland League Premier Division team will move into a new stadium off Glasgow Road by 2027.‘Not one of the committee wants to move,’ David Blakey is the president. ‘But it makes sense. This land is going to be used as social housing and we get a ground that has artificial turf and modern facilities and we can increase the footfall.’He said this as he looked out over the stadium, with its beautiful ramshackle structure. ‘She’s starting to fall apart.’But she can still lure admirers. The groundhoppers talked about a wonderful experience. Local fans were warmed up by victory. Peanut also seemed to enjoy the perfect afternoon for a dog.
2025-10-27 02:00:46
HOPPING MAD! On The Road catches up with the football-crazy groundhoppers as their never-ending trek pitches up at Arthurlie FC
